BA Politics (Placement Year)
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 HL subjects
About this course
BA Hons in Politics (Placement Year), a politics degree centred on the study of political power, policy, and international relations. Core topics include Statistics, Research Methods, Policy Analysis, Historical Research, Communication & Writing, Critical & Analytical Thinking, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, and Global & Comparative Perspective. Students complete a professional placement year in their third year and undertake a final-year independent dissertation. The first year builds foundational knowledge through modules such as Global Challenges in World Politics, Parties, Populism and Protest, Policy Lab, and Political Theory for a Troubled World, while also offering optional subjects like Foundations of Microeconomics. The second year advances analytical abilities with core studies in Theories of Power and the State and Understanding Political Research, alongside diverse options covering global superpowers and the politics of the global south. The third year is dedicated to a full-time work-based placement role in industry. The final year centres on the Politics and International Relations Dissertation, supported by specialized optional modules such as Critical Studies of War and Security, Parliamentary Studies, and Policymaking in the Real World.
Modules
- Global Challenges in World Politics
- Parties, Populism and Protest
- Policy Lab
- Political Theory for a Troubled World
- British Politics: Political Ideas in Action
- Origins and Foundations of International Relations
- Medieval and Early Modern Worlds
- History of Philosophy: Ideas that Shaped the West
- Foundations of Microeconomics
- Thinking Sociologically
- Theories of Power and the State
- Understanding Political Research
- Democracy, Dictatorship and Everything in Between
- Global Superpowers
- Philosophical Perspectives on Politics and Economics
- Politics of the Global South
- Who Governs Britain? Policy, Politics and Political Change
- Employability, Purpose and Social Impact (Discovery module)
- Global Challenges and Collaborative Solutions (Discovery module)
- Taking an Idea and Making it Happen (Discovery module)
- Work Based Learning Year
- Politics and International Relations Dissertation
- Critical Political Theory
- Critical Studies of War and Security
- Democracy Under Pressure
- Environment and Development
- Europe and America
- Parliamentary Studies
- Policymaking in the Real World
- Politics of Latin America and Africa
- Politics of the Middle East and Asia Pacific
- Russia and China
- Security, Strategy and Technology
- The Politics of Borders and Migration
- The Politics of Crises and the Future of Governance
- Queer Futures (Discovery module)
- People Power and Collective Action (Discovery module)
- Confronting the Climate Crisis (Discovery module)
- Artistic Fusions (Discovery module)